The latest talk in town is none other than Mists of Pandaria, Blizzard’s new expansion for the famous World of Warcraft title. Confirmation of the first rumors and speculation of a new Panda-type class to be featured in the expansion was accepted with a lot of positive uproar among WoW fans when the new Monk class and the Pandaren race were officially announced.
The Monk class is a playable class starting at level 1. In other words, it is not a Hero class that will be available to players later in the game. As such, one of the most discussed topics is class constructions and specializations. More specifically, what to expect from each spec from start to finish considering different playstyles. The three Monk specializations or character builds are Brewmaster, Mistweaver, and Windwalker. In more common terms, a tank, a hybrid between a healer and a damage dealer, and a melee DPS, respectively.
Monk players gain a basic Monk skill set to start with and a set of specializations to further differentiate one Monk character from another based on each player’s playstyles. Monk’s basic abilities include those like Tiger Palm, Blackout Kick, Healing Spear, Paralysis, and Disable. As the name of the basic class abilities suggests, the class is highly versatile with a wide range of abilities ranging from dealing damage, buffing, debuffing, and healing.
The Brewmaster is suitable for players who love to be on the defensive. The skills available for this build promote protection and enhance evasion capabilities. For example, the Brewmaster can use Avert Harm to protect himself and other protective abilities such as Guard, Gift of the Ox, and Clash. On the other hand, Mistweaver is suitable for WoW fans who prefer a good balance between dealing damage and making sure the HP gauge is always above the danger zone. In addition to healing abilities, abilities such as mana tea and mana meditation are also very helpful in ensuring that the monk never runs out of mana while at the climax of a fight. Finally, the Windwalker is all about melee DPS. The names of the skills available for the spec say it all: Fists of Fury, Flying Serpent Kick, Rising Sun Kick, and Combat Conditioning. All three specs are designed with great care by Blizzard. Add in the highly positive comments about the Death Knight class, a new class that came out with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the Monk class is sure to gain instant popularity.
